Heretic (2024)
The most uplifting horror film?
The Quick Details
Title: Heretic
Release date: November 8, 2024
Directed by: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Staring: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East
Summary: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. (https://www.hereticfilm.co.uk/synopsis/)
Rating: R - Some bloody violence
Genre: Horror/Thriller
The Awesome Review
As an active Latter-day Saint and former missionary, this horror/thriller definitely hit closer to home than any other I have watched, and definitely not in a bad way. The actors did a phenomenal job at capturing the awkward emotions associated with missionary work, from the awkward conversations, to the hopeful enthusiasm of meeting someone who seems genuinely interested.
The thing that impressed me the most (even from the first trailer I watched) was the respect the filmmakers showed for religion in general and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormons) specifically. Our faith is occasionally mocked in various ways in pop culture (thank you Under the Banner of Heaven, South Park, and the Book of Mormon Musical 😉), so it was refreshing to see a mainstream trailer that didn’t take cheap shots at the faith, but rather used the realistic situations to tell a fascinating and horrifying story.
But trailers can sometimes be misleading, so I went into the film hopeful with a hint of skepticism about the portrayal of Mormon Missionaries. The filmmakers did not disappoint. The dialogue, mannerisms, and reactions felt truly authentic to my own experiences.
Sophie Thatcher (who played Sister Barnes) and Chloe East (Sister Paxton), leaned into their Mormon upbringing (though reportedly no longer practicing members of the faith), and brought to the screen a truly authentic, honest portrayal of Latter-day Saint missionaries.
None of it was done in mockery or antagonistically. The beliefs of Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton were tested, their perspectives and illusions shattered. In those few, harrowing hours in Mr. Reed’s (Hugh Grant) maze of Hell, their characters were understandably changed forever. Yet, though their beliefs wavered, they never lost them.
As a man of faith, I found this very refreshing. So often we see stories of belief turn to disbelief, or disbelief to belief, but in the mainstream media, how often do we see belief beget belief? At least for me, it’s been a while.
I came out of the film and explained some of my initial thoughts to my dad. His response was, “It almost sounds like it was uplifting.”
When put that way, I’d have to say yes, this is probably the most uplifting horror film I’ve ever seen! Although that’s a pretty low bar. There were many inspiring moments where the two sister missionaries stood up for themselves. They weren’t stupid, they weren’t naïve. They were trying to survive in the only ways they knew how, and at the end of the day, their beliefs mattered.
So yes, I would have reasons to argue Heretic was inspiring and uplifting, insofar as I pray to God that this situation never, ever arises in real life.
Another aspect I admired was the approach that was taken with the horror. Much of the horror was drawn out via conversation, not cheap jump scares. There was purpose and meaning behind Mr. Reed’s motivations, like watching a game of chess rather than a blood bath in the woods.
I was also grateful that there was never any element of sexual violence towards these young women by Mr. Reed.
There were two points I’d like to call out that, if done a little differently, could have made this awesome movie even more awesome. First is the conversation Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton have right at the beginning about pornography one of them watched. The awkwardness of the conversation was spot on, and I’m sure that’s why the filmmakers put it in that way, however as a male missionary, I never once had or overheard a conversation with another guy about pornography outside of the context of teaching someone that we believe it’s generally best to avoid it where possible. I can’t attest to what sisters talk about, and maybe that has come up at some point, but there are so many other awkward conversations that could be placed there to convey a similar message without the crassness of describing a pornographic scene. Because other than introductory exposition, this bears very little weight throughout the rest of the film.
The second point is the moment early on when three teens pants one of the sisters to see if she’s wearing “magical underwear”. Unlike my first point, the magic underwear does come up later on, so I get its introduction here, however such an act is incredibly offensive and dehumanizing, and I felt like more could have been done to address the violation as such.
All in all, Heretic is a phenomenal movie! I applaud Scott Beck, Bryan Wood, Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, and everyone else who put in time and effort into this incredibly well made film.
This genre is definitely not for everyone, and if you are sensitive to men committing violence to women, entrapping them against their will, blood portrayed on screen, or if watching sister missionaries go through that would be triggering for you (either because you were a missionary or have a close friend or family who is a missionary), I would caution you against seeing this movie. However, if you’re open to a psychological thriller with strong horror elements and some bloody violence, with a dash of inspiration and faith promoting beliefs, I would enthusiastically recommend the movie.
It is certified awesome!